Compressed-air water-elevator.



H. A. HOGEL.

COMPRESSED AIR WATER ELEVATOR.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 9, 1909. RENEWED MAR. 19, 1912.

1,042,227 Patented Oct. 22, 1912.

2 8HEETSSHEET 14 H. A. HOGEL.

COMPRESSED AIR WATER ELEVATOR.

APPLIOATION FILED JAN.9, 1909. RENEWED MAR.19, 1912. 1,042,227

Patented Oct. 22, 1912.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

vwemtoz abtomu q Units HASCAL A. HOGEL, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

COMPRESSED-AIR W'AT ER-IEH'JEVA'IOR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 22,1912.

Application filed January 9, 1909, Serial lj'o. 471,472. Renewed March 19, 1912. Serial No. 684,812.

To all whom it may concern.

Be it known that I, HAscAL A. HooEL, a citizen of the United States, residing at Boston, in the county of Suffolk and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new .and useful Improvements in Compressed- Air \Vater-lllevators: and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to compressed air water elevators especially adapted for mines, and has for its object the production of a punlp which will be comparatively inexpensive to construct; will be certain in action when the water discharge pipe is lengthened, or becomes clogged from any cause; or when the load is otherwise increased; one that will notv be destroyed or rendered inefficient by the acids or sand of the mine waters; and will be capable ofacontinuous operation, although the air pressure may vary within wide limits while the drills are working.

\Vith these and other. objects in view the invention consists in the details of construction and novel combination of parts more fully hereinafter disclosed and particularly pointed out in the claims. I

Referring tothe accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification in which like numerals refer to like parts in all the vie\\'s:-Figure 1, is an elevational view partly in section of one form of the invention. Fig. 2, a detail view of one of the check valves. Fig. 3, a detail view of the rotating parts of the air engine. Fig. 4, a sectional detail of a modification. Fig. 5, an elevational view partly in section of another form of the invention, and Fig. 6, a detail view of-' a still further modified form of water elevating engine.

The principle of the well known Pohle air lift pump in which air is conducted through a pipe to the bottom of a well and is then discharged upward into a water discharge pipe is now well understood, and it is recog nixed that in order for pumps of this nature to become effective it is essential that the discharge pipe be submerged in the water to be lifted at least a distance equal to 66% of the height it is desired to raise such water. This condition renders such pump wholly unsuited for mines, where the lift is great and the depth of water very small in comparison. Again, pumps have heretofore been proposed to utilize Dr. Pohles principle where the lift is great and the waterin the mine comparatively shallow, by providing the discharge pipe and lower water receiving chambers with check valves; there being a supply of air under a constant presi again fail to work. Likewise, it often happens that the sumps from which the water is to be drawn have to be made in solid rock, and such pumps require a considerable excavation to provide a suitable reservoir in which their suction pipes may be accommodated. Furthermore, the suction valves often become clogged and cut with the sand and other material carried by the mine waters; and although such pumps may operate satisfactorily for a time, they give trouble in the end.

All the above objections are overcome by my construction, as will now appear.

Referring to Fig. 1, 1 represents any suitable air compressor, preferably of a rotary type; 2 a pipe of a suitable cross sectional area conducting air to the water to be lifted; 3 a valve controlling the same, and 4 a pipe supplying air to the drills, or to any other place of use. The air pipe 2, leads to the engine casing 5, in which are mounted the rotary vanes G, or other suitable rotor; and

from said casing leads the air discharge pipe into said pipe 8 below said valve, if desired.

The ends 10 of the vanes 6 abut against the inner end wall of the casing 5, as shown, while rigid with the other ends of said vanes is the disk or diaphragm 12, which separates the engine chamber in two parts, one for air and one for water, as shown. In the water compartment are located the vanes 13, or other rotor, rigid with the vanes 6, and 14 represents a water inlet for said compartment. The rotor is provided with large 14, creating a tendency for the water to rush.

in behind the same as is well known; and as the parts do not fit tight, anyair that leaks past the diaphragm 12 will be carried around with said rotor and escape up into the pipe 8 behind the. water. Ordinarily, air escaping into the water compartment of the engine, would tend to drive the water out of the passage 14, but owing to the cavity 16 which extends a considerable distance on each side of said passage, Water will collect thereinbelow the vanes 13; and said vanes with air and water between them will force the water insaid compartment past said passage with such a velocity as to greatly lessen any tendency of the air to drive the water back out of the passage 14. The air being admitted to the pipe 8 from the water compartment, and from the exhaust pipe 7, Will expand therein according I to its pressure, and according to the head of water in said pipe 8 above the valve 9', and tend to seat the same. If the supply 'of air in the pipe 2 is continuous, water will continue to be forced air will continuously ast the valve 9, and e forced in behind the water until the total head of water in the pipe 9 just balances the air pressure. This head of water will be, of course, about 32 feet for each 15 pounds pressure of air, but since this head of water will be broken up into sections, in the manner well known, with columns of air between each section, it is evident that the top section of water will reach to a height depending upon the total quantity of air in the air columns below. It is, also, evident that by simply increasing the quantity of air relative to the quantity of water in said pipe 8, that the water-may be raised to any height desired without increasing the air pressure. I have provided the valve 20 in the pipe 7 to regulate the amount of air that enters the pipe 8 above the valve 9,v and therefore to regulate in a measure the height to which the water may be forced, with a given pressure of air.

That is to say, suppose the pressure in pipe 2 remains at 15 pounds to the square inch, and the valve 20 be partially closed, theengine would slow down and less water would be forced past the valve 9. More air, however, would leak past the diaphragm 12, and

proportionately more air to water would enter the pipe 8, thereby lifting the water to a greater height at the same pressure, although of course the total quantity of water lifted would remain the same, or 32 feet.

can be cast out of metal; and since the parts are designed to have a loose fit, the same may be enameled or otherwise rendered inert to acids. Or, of course, the parts may be suitably formed out of any suitable acid resisting material. The bearings being heavy the mine waters serve to lubricate the same, and all parts may be cut by sand without changing the operation in theleast.

In order to provide against clogging, and: to be able to lift the water todifi'erent levels at will, I have provided the usual strainer 25 over the passage It, and have also provided a series of connections 26 between the pipes 2 and 8, each having a check valve 27, 28 or 29 as shown.. The valve 27 is heavier than the valve 28, and the latter is heavier than the valve 29, as indicated by the'decreasing sizes of the outer casings in Fig. 1. Or, of course, these valves may be all alike but loaded by springs, or otherwise, so as to lift at different pressures. In order to render the action of these valves clear, I will suppose the pipe 8 tobe 1,000 feet highand to be filled with alternate air and water columns as in the Pohle pump, and also thatthe valve 3 is closed with 15 pounds pressure in pipe 2. In such condition, the total col umns of water in pipe 8 will be 32 feet; the total columns of air will be 968 feet; and the lot system will be in equilibrium with 15 pounds pressure on the valve 9, if we disregard the leakage back through the air engine, all as will be readily understood. If-

while the system is balanced, as above de der pressure through the valve 27, it would press down as well as up; and while the system below said valve would remain undisturbed the material above would be subjected to the full pressure admitted through said valve; and if said pressure is suflicient, the contents of the pipe above said valve would be blown out, thereby lessening the pressure on the valve 9 by an amount equal to the weight of the material thus discharged. In the same way, pressure admitted through the valve 28 would blow out of the pipe 8 any material above itself, and likewise still further lessen the pressure on the valve 9; and the same would be true of any other valve, as 29 located lower down, until finally there would be no pressure on the valve 9 except the small head of water below the upper end of pipe 7. Now let the pipe 8.

us suppose that the valve 3 is partially open with 15 pounds pressure in pipe 2; that the valve 29 requires say one pound of extra pressure to open it, the valve 28 two pounds, and the valve 27 say four pounds, and that the pump begins to clog or to slow down by reason of the discharge pipe 8 having been more power is furnished to more rapidly discharge the material. If 16 pounds is notsufficient, then opening the valve 3 still further will put on say .one more pound when the valve 28 will lift and furnish still more air in proportion to the liquid and still more power; while an increase. of the pressure to 20 pounds would cause all three valves to open, and to still further increase the proportion'of air to water in pipe 8 and to supply still more power to discharge said pipe. Of course, the discharge having been once established at a certain rate, the system is kept unbalanced by the operation of the air supplies through one or more of the valves 27, 28 or 29. and the discharge will continue so long as the lower air supply through pipe 7 remains insutlicient to clear Vhile lifting water to any height, should the drills draw off so much air through the pipe 4 -to prevent the water from being discharged through pipe 8, it is only necessary to open valve 3 to restore the pressure in pipe 2; and should it be desired at any time to lift the water to a greater height without increasing the pressure, or to lift the water to the same height after the pressure has fallen too low, it is only necessary 'to open the valve 20 and thereby increase the proportion of air to water that enters pipe 8, all as will be readily understood.

The modification of my invention disclosed in Fig. 4, is especially adapted to very shallow suinps, or to those conditions that often exist in mines where it is inconvenientto get large reservoirs of water to draw from, although the running supply may be great. In this figure the pipe or hose 30 is joined to the opening 14, and a pipe or hose 31 is provided into which the nozzle 32 projects, as shown. Said nozzle is connected with the main air pipe 2, by the pipe or hose 33, provided with a controlling valve 34. The injector action of the nozzle 32, combined with the suction and forcing action of the rotor 13, forces the water past the valve 9, when the other prin ciples above disclosed come into play.

In Fig. 6, I have shown a form of air to the column, so that. more air as well as engine and water lifter which is useful in slimes and waters carrying a great deal of sand. In this figure the air engine, operates a screw 36, which forces the water into the pipe 8 and past a check valve not shown. Air escaping past the diaphragm 12 follows the water up into the pipe 8, and aids in lifting the same as in the other forms.

In all these forms it will be observed that either a continuous source of compressed air, or an intermittent source may be employed. No suction from the compressor is required, and therefore the time which would be lost in raising, lowering and reversing the pressure in pipe 2 is saved. Furthermore, by simply opening and closing the valve 3 at regular intervals by any suitable and Well known means, the constant pressure supplied to pipe 2 may be rendered intermittent, and an amount of work may be obtained from the air almost equal to that demanded by theory. My invention, however, is not limited to a source of pressure devoid of suction, and I have illustrated in Fig. 5, a further modification in which suction is applied from the compressor itself. In this figure, 40 represents any suitable compressing and suction device, here shown conven-.

tionally as of a reciprocating piston type; 41 and 42 the air pipes; 43 the water discharge pipe; 44 and 45 the water receiving chambers into which said pipes lead; and 46 and 47, pipes or hose connections leading from said chambers to an open ended pipe or hose 48, adapted to enter the sump or other reservoir from which water is to be discharged. Nozzles 49 and 50 enter the open ends of said pipe 48, and are connected respectively to the air pipes 41 and 42, by the hose or pipe connections, 51' and 52, as shown. Suitable check valves 53 and 54 control respectively the said connections 51 and 52, suitable check valves 55 and 56 respectively control the upper ends of pipes 46 and 47, and like valves 57 and 58 respectively control the exits from the water receiving chambers 44 and 45, as illustrated. Between the air pipes 41 and 42 and the water delivery pipe 43 are a plurality of connections, as shown, in which are located check valves 61, 62, 63 and 64, each requiring less pressure to lift them, as indicated by their diminishing size as one goes downward. These valves may be of any suitable construction, and one form is illustrated in detall in Fig. 2. The operation of thls form of my invention is as follows A suction being created by the apparatustion of the air forced through the nozzle 49 from the pipe 41. Upon a pressure being s pipe 41.

now applied tosaid pipe '42, and a suction to the pipe 41, any water that has already passed the valve 56 will now cause said valve ,to be closed; and the water-in,chamber 45 .valve 55 intothe chamber 44. The suction in said chamber will likewise tend to cause the water to enter the same, as well as the Upon pressure being "again applied to pipe 41, and suction to pipe 42, the first set of operations will be repeated'and the water in chamber 44 be forced past the valve 57. As the pump continues to operate, water will rise in the pipe 43 above the valves 57 and 58, until it gets above the check valves 64, which require very little pressure to lift them. When the head of water passes the valves 64, the air escaping past. said valves will cut ed a portionof said head and lift the same a distance proportional to the quantity that escapes, proportional to the pressure at which it escapes,

and proportional to the amount or weight of the water piston thus cut off, all as is well understood. That is to say, it is now well known that air injected into a rising column of water, in the manner indicated, will form alternate pistons or columns of water and air in the pipe 43, that the total height of the water pistons will be 32 feet for each 15 pounds pressure of the air, and that the total height of the air columns or pistons will depend upon the amount of air admitted to the pipe 43, and that this amount will again depend upon the pressure at which the air is, admitted in the first instance. By suitably adjusting the valves 53 and 54,- the amount of air that follows the water up past the valves 57 and 58 may be controlled, and by adjusting the valves 64, the amount of air that cuts oif the rising column into pistons may be likewise controlled; while suitably adjusting both of these valves controls the relative amount of areopened sufiiciently to increase the pres-' sure enough to lift one or more of the valves 63, 62 or 61. And the same thing is done when it is desired to blow out the pipes at any time, or to deliver a greater Volume of water in a less time, all as disclosed above.

In all cases it will be observed that none I of the parts need fit tightly, and therefore substantially as described.

I does the cutting of the parts by sand make any difference in the operation; nor the shallowness of the water so long asta pipe of moderate diameter may be immersed therein. In addition to the above,-by the simple manipulation of one or more valves controlling the air pipes the pump may be made towork faster; to throw Water to various helghts, at will; or the slowing down .efiect of air drills when using the same air supply may be avoided.

Slnce various changes may be made by those skilled in the-art without departing from the spiritof my invention, I do-not wish to be limited to the exact details disclosed, except as pointed out in the claims,

pressure may be admitted to one of said chambers and allowed to leak into the other; a water'delivery pipe; and a connection be tween said air pipe and water delivery pipe above said chamber, substantially as described.

2. In a compressed air water elevator, the combination of a plurality of chambers'into which air may be delivered successively and simultaneously and from one of which Water may be expelled; an airpipe connected to said chambers; a water delivery pipe connected to said chamber; a check valve between said water pipe and one of said chambers; anda connection between said'water and air pipes above said check valve, 'substantially as described.-

3. In a compressed air Water elevator, the combination of a plurality of chambers into which air is delivered successively and simultaneouslyand from one of which water may be expelled; an air pipe connected tov said chambers;awater delivery pipe connected to said. chambers; a check valve between said water pipe and one of saidchanibers; a plurality of connections between said water and air pipes above saidcheck valve;

. one of the same; a ,water pipe; a check valve in the same above'said chambers; a connection from one of said-chambers leading into the water to be lifted; a pipe between said connection and said air pipe adapted to deliver, air into said connection below said chambers; and a connection between said air and water pipes above said check valve,

5. Ina compressed air water elevator, the combination of a plurality of chambers an air pipe leading to said chambers adapted to deliver air under pressure into both of said chambers, while expelling water from chambers; and a valved connection between said air and water pipes above said check valve, substantially as described.

6. In a compressed air water elevator, the combination of an air engine having an air compartment and a water compartment; suitable rotors in said compartments separated by a partition permitting air to leak from the one compartment to the other; an air pipe leading to said air compartment; a Water pipe leading from said water compartment; and a pipe connecting said air compartment and said water pipe, substantially as described. a

7. In a compressed air water elevator, the combination of an air engine having an air compartment and a water compartment;

suitable rotors in said compartments separated by apartition permitting air to leak from the onecompartment to the other; an air pipe connecting with said air compartment; a valve in said pipe; a water pipe leading from said water compartment; a check valve in said water pipe above said water compartment; and a valved pipe connecting said air compartment and said water pipe, substantially as described.

8. In a compressed air water elevator, the combination of an air engine having an air compartment and a water compartment; suitable rotors in said cpmpartments separated by a partition permitting air to leak from the one compartment to the other; an air pipe connecting with said air compartment; a water pipe leading from said water compartment; a plurality of connections between said water and air pipes; a plurality of check valves each adapted to be lifted by a difierent pressure in said connections; and a valved pipe connecting said air compartment and said Water pipe, substantially as described.

9. Ina compressed air Water elevator, the combination of an air pipe; a casing provided with an air chamber connected withsaid pipe; and a water chamber connected withthe air chamber; means by which air under pressure may be admitted to both of said chambers at the same time; a water delivery pipe; :1 connection between said air pipe and water delivery pipe above said chambers; a pipe 31 connected to said water chamber; and a connection 33 between said air pipe and said pipe 31, substantially as described.

10. In a compressed air water elevator, the combination of a plurality of chambers into which air may be delivered at the same time and from one of which water may be expelled; an air pipe connecting with said chambers; a water delivery pipe connected to said chambers; a check valve between said water pipe and one of, said chambers;

ipes 30 and 31 connecting said water chamer with a water supply; and a valve pipe 33 connecting said air pipe and said pipe 31, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof, I allix my signature, in presence of two witnesses.

HASCAL A. HOGEL. Witnesses:

THEODORE EATON, S. K. HanI roN. 

